INSPIRATION

People often report seeing images of Jesus in trees, buildings, or slices of toast. Researchers say the surprising image that appeared in a cancer tumor has been inspirational from them. Scientists at the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research created a cancer protein 12 years ago so they could study how it developed into a tumor inside the human body. The protein, known as the beta-catenin protein, causes cancer by moving into the nucleus of a cell and activating certain genes. The chain reaction transforms normal cells into tumor cells. The researchers say the process of observing a protein is often tedious, but it wasn’t long before they began to notice the development of a “smiley face” on a growing tumor.

Chief Researcher, Associate Professor Beric Henderson, says everyone in the lab have been very excited by the image. The team hopes to determine how the protein gets into the cell nucleus so they can find a way to stop it from getting inside. He says research can get dull and boring, as wells as causing eye strain and even some mental health problems. The discovery of the smiley face helped make the process of discovery a little more interesting for the team. Henderson said,”It’s had all of us wondering what the underlying message is. There are different ways of looking at it. You could think it’s laughing at us, but I like to think it’s challenging us.”

Cancer with a smile: Scientists find happy face on tumour under the microscope,

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (GW) In every way we're troubled, but we aren't crushed by our troubles. We're frustrated, but we don't give up. (9) We're persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're captured, but we're not killed. (10) We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies.